Solving time: 18:45 The bottom right corner here took me as long as the rest of the puzzle. I’m afraid I thought lots of clues in this were very poor. * = anagram. Across 9 … Read more “ST 4248 (Sun 28 Oct) – Malorodous”
Jumbo 723 (Sat 20 Oct) – Return of the Space Capsule
Solving time: About 50 mins in two sessions; four missing (asterisked below). I found this very tough, mostly because I didn’t know some of the harder words / phrases; anyone who did would probably say … Read more “Jumbo 723 (Sat 20 Oct) – Return of the Space Capsule”
Times Saturday 23743 (Oct 27)
Solving time 15:10 This was about average difficulty for a Saturday, but really fun to solve. Clue of the Day has to go to 5dn, as an alternative answer jumps out at you and you … Read more “Times Saturday 23743 (Oct 27)”
Unofficial Times cryptic RTC No. 16 – your times please
This is a weekly unofficial contest based on your times for the Times cryptic crossword from Saturday to Friday. I’ll endeavour to get the results out more promptly than last time. Championship puzzles and this … Read more “Unofficial Times cryptic RTC No. 16 – your times please”
23,748 – Charming or Offensive?
This was not my favourite Times puzzle ever, although it did have some very clever clues. At first, I thought that my lack of enthusiasm for it was due to it taking me a long … Read more “23,748 – Charming or Offensive?”
23,747 – poppycock
Solving time: 8:40 I had noticed CODSWALLOP and BALDERDASH as I worked down the crossword (though I didn’t spot TOMMYROT as part of the set), and so I was pleased to find the cross-reference in … Read more “23,747 – poppycock”
23746 – Championship Prelim 2, Puzzle 3
Solving time: say 11 minutes I have a time of 9:25 written next to the grid from solving this shortly after the champs, but I’d heard one or two answers already and even had a … Read more “23746 – Championship Prelim 2, Puzzle 3”
Jumbo 722 – fairly tricky
Solving time (estimate): about 30 mins Failed to keep my original copy of this so I’ve just done a re-solve, which suggests that the first go must have taken a fair while, and that quite … Read more “Jumbo 722 – fairly tricky”
Times 23745 – I need the loo
Some very clever wordplay (and unlike today’s Guardian no errors!). I especially liked 1D because the definition was so well-hidden in a convincing apposite surface. Across 6 A,T IT – the kind that sings. 9 … Read more “Times 23745 – I need the loo”
23744 – cold and hot
Solving time: 41 mins It felt pretty quick this morning. I got the two long ones straight away – it helps when that happens. There were a couple of bits I needed to look up … Read more “23744 – cold and hot”